List of people from Adelaide


This is an incomplete list of notable people from Adelaide.

Arts and music

Prominent intellectuals, writers, artists, bands, and musicians to hail from Adelaide include:

Actors

  • Dame Judith Anderson – Rebecca, And Then There Were None; Tony and Emmy Award winner
  • Elspeth Ballantyne – Prisoner
  • Holly Brisley – Home and Away
  • Sam Clark – Neighbours
  • Kate Fischer – Sirens
  • Sir Robert Helpmann – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
  • Nicholas Hope – Bad Boy Bubby
  • Dichen Lachman – Neighbours, Dollhouse
  • Anthony LaPaglia – Without a Trace
  • Jonathan LaPaglia – Seven Days, The District
  • Glenn McMillan – Wonderland, Power Rangers Ninja Storm
  • John Noble – Fringe
  • Ben Oxenbould – Hey Dad..!
  • Teresa Palmer – December Boys, I Am Number Four
  • Lois Ramsey – Road to Nhill, Home and Away
  • Mandahla Rose – All About E, Oranges and Sunshine
  • Xavier Samuel – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
  • Hugh Sheridan – Packed to the Rafters
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog; Oscar-nominated actor
  • Sonia Todd – McLeod's Daughters
  • Sarah Snook – Succession; Golden Globe winner
  • Adam Tuominen – Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Underbelly: Razor, Escape from Pretoria
  • Melanie Vallejo – Winners and Losers, Power Rangers Mystic Force
  • Samara Weaving

    Comedians

  • Anthony Lehmann – aka "Lehmo" Lehmann
  • Richard Marsland
  • Shaun Micallef
  • Greig Pickhaver – aka "H.G. Nelson"
  • Roy Rene – aka "Mo McCackie"
  • Frank Woodley

    Film directors

  • Mario Andreacchio
  • David James Campbell
  • Alex Frayne
  • Rolf de Heer
  • Scott Hicks
  • Pip Karmel
  • Justin Kurzel
  • Anthony Maras
  • Michael James Rowland

    Humanities

  • Graeme Hugo – demographer and Federation Fellow
  • J. J. C. Smart – philosopher
  • Hugh Stretton – historian and sociologist
  • Peter Sutton – anthropologist
  • Wesley Wildman – philosopher, theologian, ethicist
  • Ghil'ad Zuckermann – linguist and revivalist

    Journalists

  • Annabel Crabb – political writer and commentator
  • Brady Haran – independent video journalist and Internet personality
  • Jenni Hogan – TV reporter and host, Emmy Award winner
  • Christian Kerr – political commentator and journalist
  • David Koch – financial journalist and former presenter of Sunrise
  • Bruce McAvaney – sports broadcaster
  • Hamish McLachlan – television sports commentator for the Seven Network
  • David Penberthy – editor-in-chief of the Australian newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph''

    Musicians and bands

  • Allday
  • The Angels
  • At Sunset
  • Atlas Genius
  • The Audreys
  • Jimmy Barnes
  • The Beards
  • Beeb Birtles
  • Bit By Bats
  • David Campbell
  • Wes Carr
  • Julian Cochran
  • Cold Chisel
  • Beccy Cole
  • Michael Crafter
  • Delta
  • Fraternity
  • Funkoars
  • Peter Furler
  • Dave Graney
  • Angie Hart
  • Hilltop Hoods
  • The Hot Lies
  • I Killed the Prom Queen
  • Jim Keays
  • Paul Kelly
  • Rachael Leahcar
  • Lowrider
  • Tkay Maidza
  • The Mark of Cain
  • The Masters Apprentices
  • Reece Mastin
  • Sarah McLeod
  • Sister Janet Mead
  • Rudy Nikkerud
  • Orianthi Panagaris
  • Redgum
  • Aleesha Rome
  • Guy Sebastian
  • Glenn Shorrock
  • Sia
  • Benjamin Speed
  • The Superjesus
  • Swanee
  • Michelle Tumes
  • The Twilights
  • Universum
  • Virgin Black
  • Wolf & Cub

    Visual artists

  • James Ashton – painter and arts educator
  • Dorrit Black – modernist printmaker and painter
  • Michal Dutkiewicz – comic book artist and illustrator, three-time winner of the Stanley Award
  • Robert Hannaford – portrait artist, three-time winner of the People's Choice Award of the Archibald Prize
  • Barbara Hanrahan – artist, printmaker and writer
  • Sir Hans Heysen – landscape painter, nine-time winner of the Wynne Prize
  • Nora Heysen – portrait artist, first female winner of the Archibald Prize
  • Ondrej Mares – sculptor and furniture maker
  • Joseph Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski – painting, photography, film-making, theatre design, fabric design, murals, kinetic and static sculpture, stained glass, vitreous enamel murals, op-collages, computer graphics, and laser art
  • Geoffrey Proud – portrait and landscape painter, sculptor, winner of the 1990 Archibald Prize, winner of the 1975 Sulman Prize
  • Jeffrey Smart – precisionist landscape painter
  • Susan Dorothea White – painter, sculptor and printmaker

    Writers

  • Malcolm Afford – playwright and novelist
  • Guy Boothby – novelist and travel writer
  • James Bradley – novelist and critic
  • Brian Castro – novelist
  • Nancy Cato – author
  • J. M. Coetzee – novelist and essayist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
  • Aidan Coleman – poet
  • David Conyers – science fiction author
  • Geoffrey Dutton – poet, author and historian, winner of the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry
  • Max Fatchen – journalist and children's author
  • Mem Fox – educator and children's author
  • Peter Goldsworthy – novelist, poet and scriptwriter, winner of the Helpmann Award
  • Christine Harris – children's and young adult author
  • Max Harris – poet, critic and columnist
  • Vernon Knowles – fantasy author
  • Kym Lardner – children's author, illustrator, and storyteller
  • Caleb Lewis – playwright
  • DBC Pierre – novelist, winner of the Man Booker Prize
  • Gillian Rubinstein – children's author and playwright
  • Bel Schenk – poet
  • Tony Shillitoe – fantasy author
  • Tim Sinclair – poet and novelist
  • Hugh Stretton – historian and sociologist
  • Anne Summers – feminist writer and editor
  • Colin Thiele – children's author and educator, winner of the Dromkeen medal
  • David Thorne – humorist and satirist
  • Russel Ward – historian and author of The Australian Legend
  • Sean Williams – science fiction author
  • Ben Winch – novelist
  • Nan Witcomb – poet
  • Laetitia Withall – poet, author and suffragette

    Business and media

  • Rick Allert – accountant, company director and chairperson
  • Balfours family – bakery founders
  • Barr Smith family – businessmen and philanthropists
  • Matt Barrie – entrepreneur, CEO Freelancer Limited
  • Shaun Bonétt – property developer, entrepreneur and philanthropist
  • Cooper family – brewery founders
  • Thomas Elder – pastoralist, politician and philanthropist
  • Gerard family – founders of Clipsal
  • Haigh family – chocolatiers
  • Edward Hayward – owner and manager of John Martins
  • Sir Sidney Kidman – pastoralist, entrepreneur and landowner
  • Matthew and Zbigniew Michalewicz – entrepreneurs and co-founders of SolveIT Software
  • Rupert Murdoch – media mogul, chairperson and CEO of News Corporation
  • Wade Nixon – creator of the YouTube channel DankPods
  • Mary Penfold – winemaker
  • John Spalvins – managing director of Adelaide Steamship Company
  • Robert Stigwood – impresario, entertainment entrepreneur and film producer
  • Michael Tunn – radio announcer and program director
  • Gary Turner – producer, record company owner and founder of LearnToPlayMusic.com

    Law and politics

  • Julie Bishop – Minister for Foreign Affairs and deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
  • Sir John Langdon Bonython – member of the first Australian parliament
  • Sir John Lavington Bonython – mayor and lord mayor of Adelaide
  • Michael Bradley – mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
  • James Crawford – legal academic and judge of the International Court of Justice
  • Mario Despoja – leader of the Croatian community in Australia
  • Natasha Stott Despoja – senator and leader of the Australian Democrats
  • Alexander Downer – Foreign Affairs Minister and leader of the opposition
  • Alexander Downer, Sr. – member of the House of Representatives and High Commissioner to London
  • John Downer – twice premier of South Australia
  • John Finnis – professor of Law at University College, Oxford
  • Julia Gillard – prime minister and leader of the Australian Labor Party
  • Janine Haines – senator and leader of the Australian Democrats
  • Sir Charles Kingston – premier of South Australia and Minister for Trade and Customs in the first Commonwealth parliament
  • Dame Roma Mitchell – Australia's first female QC, first female judge, and first female governor
  • Christopher Pyne – Minister for Defence
  • Catherine Helen Spence – suffragist, electoral reformer, prohibitionist, and first female political candidate in Australia
  • Ian Wilson – member of the Australian House of Representatives and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
  • Sir Keith Wilson – senator and member of the Australian House of Representatives
  • Penny Wong – Labor politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • List of mayors and lord mayors of Adelaide
  • List of premiers of South Australia
  • :Category: Federal politicians from South Australia

    Science

World-renowned Adelaide scientists include: